In an unusual attempt to sell a website name, otherwise known as a domain, a site has suggested ‘future spacefaring kids’ and the ‘key to life’ in a short cryptic message.
Marketing stunt or something more
In a simple single-page site with a font that some described as ‘hard to read,’ the site offers little specific information except for a vision for the future and the fact that its domain is on sale for a staggering USD 16 million. Nonetheless, the short message has been enough to garner interest among netizens, with some claiming it a pure marketing stunt and others believing there is more to the message. There is no other content on the site except for the message.
The entire message can be seen below:
Cryptic message on traveloverspace.com. Source: Traveloverspace.com
The author of the message itself seems to have anticipated the attention, citing that many would ‘scoff at the price’ but that the ‘new owner now holds the key to life.’
As a sharp-eyed netizen has also pointed out, an unapparent link is behind one of the punctuation marks in the message, connecting the site to domain marketplace Afternic.
The punctuation with a link. Source: Traveloverspace.com
Mysterious origin
Little is known about the person or team behind the site and message. A check on icann.org, an online database containing owner information of domains, has revealed little information except that the domain is registered with domain registrar GoDaddy in South East Asian country Singapore. The domain is also owned by an organization named ‘Travel OverSpace.’ However, a Google search for the terms’ Travel OverSpace’ has returned little helpful information about the organization.
Domains that cost millions of dollars
Officially recorded domain name sales that range in the millions of dollars have been relatively rare throughout the years but not impossible. In 2010, CarInsurance.com was sold for a whopping $49.7 million. VacationRentals.com was sold for $35 million in 2007. More recently, however, domain name sales prices have been more tamed, likely with the advent of new investable digital assets like cryptocurrencies and digital art. In 2021, Hippo.com was sold for just $3.3 million, and Christmas.com was sold for $3.15 million; still, astronomical figures but comparatively lower than what they were before.
Future speculations
It is not known how close the domain is to a successful sale. Some have speculated that it may never be sold at all, while others believe it’s only a matter of time before the domain is sold. There are also thoughts that inevitably, traveling ‘overspace’ will be as common as traveling overseas one day, thus justifying the price of the domain in an upcoming multi-billion industry. Regardless of the sentiment, the site remains live and continues to capture people’s imagination.
